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North America has its first video game union at Vodeo Games
Vodeo Workers United partnered with CODE-CWA
www.polygon.com
Workers at Beast Breaker developer Vodeo Games have unionized, creating the first video game studio union in North America. Vodeo management voluntarily recognized the union, which includes both full-time employees and contracted workers.
The company is entirely remote, with its staff of roughly 13 employees and contract workers spread across both the United States and Canada. The union, called Vodeo Workers United, represents all eligible employees — more than half of whom are independent contractors.
Vodeo Workers United is now the first officially recognized video game studio union in North America. Its staff follows in the footsteps of other game industry workers who’ve made history for workers rights. This includes Voltage Organized Workers, the Lovestruck: Choose Your Romance developers who went on 21-day strike in 2020 and won without official union recognition, and United Paizo Workers and Cards Against Humanity Workers United, which made history as the first tabletop gaming unions.
The video game industry has seen increased momentum towards unionization, with video game studios abroad — like Paradox Interactive workers in Sweden and Nexon workers in South Korea — forming workers’ groups. Collective bargaining and union efforts have also ramped up in North America over the past few years, as studios began to reckon with accusations of workplace misconduct and unfair conditions.